Page 53 of Bourbon and Proof

Sighing into the kiss, I wrap my arm around his shoulders, and he lifts me up as his tongue swipes along my lips. He hums,like he approves of the way this feels, and it lights me up even more. Working my tongue in a warm and wet caress, he lifts me so that I can wrap my legs around his waist. I writhe against him, releasing a moan, teasing for friction. When his hands grip my ass and squeeze tightly, that move alone makes me want more of whatever he decides to give.

My fingers dive into his hair as he moves us down the foyer, past the stairs, anchoring my back to the wall and then grinding himself into me. And as I feel every goddess-blessed inch of his cock rock into me, another moan crawls up my throat.

If the first time he kissed me tilted my world, then this sets it on fire. I don’t know if I’ve let in any breaths, only that the way his teeth nip at my lips and how his tongue dances with mine turns on every single fucking part of me.

Using the wall as leverage, he moves one hand to my breast and finds my nipple, pinching it first, and then moving his mouth down to it. Over the T-shirt, he teases me with his teeth, pulling another clipped sigh from me, one consumed by desire. He does it again, and then moves back to my lips, nipping my bottom lip first, and then grinding himself right along my center once again.Jesus, that feels so fucking good. A rogue moan escapes his throat, and it’s so sexy, I want to drop to my knees this instant just to hear it over and over.

But instead of another moan or growl, it’s the sound of car doors slamming, feet running up the porch, and voices of his family getting louder by the second that has us stopping, him retreating, and looking at me like he just did something he never should have.

Chapter 21

Ace

A double knock,or rather, pounding on the front door, knocks me out of the haze of the perfectly thoughtless moment I just shared withmy wife. Hadley was just in my arms, and if we hadn’t been interrupted, she would have been naked with my cock buried in her cunt in a matter of minutes. I practically groan, having to pull away and put her down. It’s too good kissing her; it feels effortless getting lost in her. The way her body molds to my touch, like her skin craves mine. How she submits to me even without realizing it.Fuck!I’m making this more complicated every time I indulge.

“Shit.” I blow out a breath and let her slide out of my grip. Standing back from her, I don’t say anything and move toward my office. I need a minute.

“Oh my gosh, Lincoln has the biggest mouth, doesn’t he?” Hadley asks with a clipped laugh, like what we were just doing isn’t the bigger issue.

“You already know the answer to that,” I say as I run my fingers through my hair.

Her eyes rove down the front of me, mouth tipping up to the side. “We should change. Looks like it’s time to play husband and wife.”

As she steps closer, I stupidly take another small step back. I know the roles we need to play, but right now, I can’t determine what’s real and what’s not. My head isn’t sorted after that kiss, and it needs to be.

A low bark from one of my brothers’ dogs snaps us both out of our stare-off. The front door swings open, and with it comes the entirety of my family, just as Griz shuffles in from his side of the house. Great, he’s already here, probably eavesdropping on all of this. Echoes of congratulations come pouring inside, my nieces practically tackling Hadley as she moves toward them. Julep and Kit jump up with the same level of excitement, like they know what the hell’s going on.

Hadley has always been more than a part of my family or my brother’s best friend. I’d never admit it, but I’m looking forward to seeing her folded completely into our chaos.

“There’s no fucking way we weren’t showing up to celebrate,” Lincoln says, holding up two trays.

“Dad!” Lark shouts at him.

“He paid ahead, Lark,” Lily sing-songs, likely referring to their lucrative hustle known as the curse purse, where all their adults are obligated to pay up for their swear words. I give them a preemptive hundred-dollar bill each month. I’m not even mad about it; I’m impressed by those two little hustlers.

“You two wanted to go ahead and get married without us and,” he pauses to look at me, “Not your finest decision, but I suppose love might make people stupid sometimes.” He smirks at Hadley, points his finger at her, and says, “Best friend turned sister is the kind of upgrade I can get onboard with, though.”Her eyes water as she hugs him. A part of me feels guilty for not having all of them with us. But another part, a more selfish one, likes that I didn’t have to share her. That it was just the two of us. When Linc moves toward the kitchen, he shouts, “Peach, did you bring myGrill Daddyapron?”

Faye follows him down the hall, rolling her eyes at me, patting my chest as she says, “Congratulations, Ace.” She gives me a smile, like she knew it was coming. And maybe she read between the lines. My sister-in-law is very good at figuring things out; we’re similar in that way—always thinking six steps ahead of the rest. She wraps her arms around Hadley and says something in her ear that makes them both laugh so hard that Hadley snorts.

“This isn’t what I would’ve pictured for your wedding day attire,” Laney says, holding up Hadley’s arm. “Though I do love the commitment to the Foxx legacy.” She smiles as she takes in the damp T-shirt.

“We, uh, got caught up...” Hadley says, glancing at me before she continues, “in the rain. Come help me pick something to change into.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, Faye, Hadley, Laney, and my nieces make their way back to the impromptu party.

“What do I tell them?” she whispers, voice panicked. “They want details, and I don’t know what’s off limits to share.” With a heavy exhale, she rubs along her wrist, looking on at the busy and loud kitchen. “What the hell are we doing? I should’ve just told them before when I told Linc, but I couldn’t get myself to lie. And now, everyone’s here at the same damn time, and this is way harder than I thought it would be.”

Whenever she gets nervous, she rubs along her wrist. I don’t like the idea of her being anxious about this, but I don’t have an answer. Without thinking, I reach for the same place she’s soothing. Her eyes find mine, surprised by my touch.The hellam I doing?I shove my hands into my still-damp suit pockets and watch as my youngest niece hangs a sign that says: Ace + Hadley. Taking in how easily this just worked and has been accepted, I clear my throat and tell her, “I’m going to go and change.”

As I turn away and down the hall, I hear Lincoln call out, “She’s finally a Foxx!” He’s going to play this up in all the ways that are going to push my limits. I didn’t lie to him about any piece of it—I couldn’t. If I’m lucky, Griz will call this a win, and then I can focus on building out what I’m intending to. And drown out Wheeler Finch in the process.

Like my thoughts have summoned him, Griz comes up beside me, gripping my shoulder. The strong squeeze is as good as a hug in our family. We aren’t ones to carry on with long embraces or unnecessary sharing of feelings, but a long handshake and a shoulder squeeze are the more meaningful equivalents.

“Tell me you’ve just married that woman because you love her. That you’ve finally gotten your head out of your ass.” We live in the same house; he’s watched both Hadley and me dance around each other for years, so I never thought he’d believe that I’d just marry her all of a sudden. But right now, the look on his face isn’t one I see often anymore. He looks...happy and content. Only, as the seconds pass without a confirmation from me, his smile falters below that bushy mustache.

He sighs, head shaking while crossing his arms. He moves his hand from my shoulder and that small shift in body language makes me feel like I’ve fucked up. “You’re somethin’ else. The hell are you doing, Ace?”

“I should be asking you the same thing, old man,” I say quietly. He’s making a lot of changes lately. Trying to tie things up in a way that’s starting to make sense to me.

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